My Platinum-Blond Childhood Friend Is So Pretty

67 – 25. Sweden Trip with Eli

After Eli’s birthday, we entered winter break.

As Christmas approached, our families were busy preparing for a trip.

I was thrilled about my first overseas trip, and Eli was excited to be going with me, so we went shopping together until the day of our trip.

“What about these sunglasses?”

“Aren’t they cool?”

“Don’t just choose something that looks good, choose something that’s really good.”

“I can’t think of anything else… These are really cool.”

“Hmm. You try them on.”

“Do you think they’ll suit me?”

“……”

“Eli?”

“…They’re not bad. Okay.”

We got sunglasses that would be perfect for a beach vacation, with extremely wide lenses. We also matched our outfits with crop shorts and padding.

This time, Eli bought everything.

Last semester, I spent a lot of time practicing guitar and studying, so I didn’t have much time to receive commissioned artwork.

Of course, I drew every night as it was my favorite hobby, but I didn’t receive any commissions. So, my financial situation was tighter than ever.

Still, I received allowance from my parents, and my sister Min-ah sometimes asked me to draw a small illustration, so it wasn’t like I was completely broke.

However.

“If I take out my card, you won’t kiss me today, right?”

“…………and Eli.”

“That’s okay too.”

“I love you.”

In November, Eli often went to fitting model part-time jobs, and thanks to that, he had a much more abundant financial situation than I did, so he didn’t allow me to use my card.

Although it was a bit frustrating to just receive things from him, it was hard to stop Eli, who was happy to buy me things.

Moreover, if I took out my card, I wouldn’t be able to kiss him, and there couldn’t be a more frightening threat than that.

“That foreign girl is crazy…”

Eli, as always, shone brightly with her platinum blonde hair, captivating the people around her with a single glance.

But she didn’t care about that at all, and instead, she had a faint red glow on her pale cheeks, with the corners of her lips slightly raised.

“But, you know.”

“What is it.”

“Can you really not kiss me today?”

“…….”

Eli’s eyes narrowed at my small joke and provocation. But she couldn’t retort, and instead, she just brightly smiled and stared at my face.

“……Annoying.”

She bit her lip and then pulled my arm, heading somewhere.

“Where are we going?”

“Just follow me.”

And when we returned home that day.

My coat pocket was filled with photos taken at the World Cup.

There wasn’t a single photo of Eli and me kissing, only those kinds of pictures.

***

Two days before Christmas.

We arrived at Incheon Airport for our trip to Sweden.

Eli’s parents had left yesterday, and we were going to go together with the four of us, including Eli, on a flight booked by my dad.

“These two, sit together and take a picture.”

As soon as we arrived at the airport, Eli and I put on sunglasses and walked around, feeling like we were on vacation. Then, my mom laughed and took many pictures of us, saying we were cute.

And I was so excited that my whole body was trembling, and my stomach hurt.

It was my first overseas trip, my first flight, and we were heading to Sweden, a place I had always wanted to visit.

On the other hand, I was a bit scared.

“What if the plane crashes?”

“Why would it crash? Don’t talk nonsense and just sit next to me.”

“No, but… it’s hard to believe that such a huge thing can fly. Look, it’s completely absurd.”

Of course, more than 80% of it was a joke. With a excited heart and a bit of fear, I was just saying whatever came to mind.

But about 20% of it was sincere. Honestly, plane crashes weren’t impossible, so I had a slight sense of anxiety.

But I was too embarrassed to show that fear, so I just kept talking, and Eli quietly looked at my face.

-Tightly

After a while, he strongly grasped my hand and gently stroked my cheek with the other hand, saying,

“I’ll hold your hand, so don’t be scared, okay? Got it?”

He comforted me like a child, and I sensed a genuine unease in his heart, which made me feel too gentle.

Although I felt a bit embarrassed that he had seen through my inner thoughts, a greater sense of relief enveloped me.

“Yeah, I will. Thank you.”

I fell for my girlfriend again, who was more considerate and kind than usual.

We sat quietly for a while, holding hands, and then went shopping with our parents at the duty-free store and had a light meal at the airport.

We boarded the plane feeling carefree.

The elegant flight attendant guided us to our seats, and Eli sat by the window, with my parents sitting in the two seats directly in front of us.

“Do you want to go in? Do you want to see outside?”

“Is it okay?”

“Go in quickly.”

Thanks to Eli’s consideration, I could see outside the window. The seats were also very spacious and comfortable, thanks to my dad’s efforts.

Was it a business class seat?

“Oppa, isn’t this too extravagant?”

“It’s okay, we received a lot of bonuses this year, and we’ve been saving up for our overseas trip. Besides, it’s Doyun’s first trip abroad… and you’ll get tired from flying for a long time.”

“Really… I love you, dear~”

We overheard our parents whispering sweet nothings to each other in front of us.

I wanted to express my gratitude and love, but it felt awkward to interrupt their affectionate moment, so I decided to wait.

Eli seemed to think the same, and we exchanged a silent laugh, looking at each other.

After a while, the flight attendant’s voice came on, and the plane took off.

-Wheeee, wheeee!

I was scared when the plane shook violently during takeoff, but thanks to Eli holding my hand, I quickly felt at ease.

“Wow…”

As we soared higher, the cityscape came into view, and the clouds covered everything.

It was cool, beautiful, and amazing.

I couldn’t tear myself away from the window for a while. It was a new experience, and just being on the plane was enjoyable.

“Hehe.”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in wonder, and Eli let out a small laugh, allowing me to gaze outside.

But.

I got lost in the clouds and sea for nearly 10 minutes, and eventually, I couldn’t resist.

-Hehe, hehe

“Aww… why, Eli?”

“How long are you going to stare outside? Don’t you want to see me?”

“Ah.”

He poked my waist with his finger, calling me with a pouty face, his eyebrows forming a displeased expression.

Only then did I realize I had been too absorbed in the outside view, and I turned my body towards Eli.

And I hugged him tightly, pulling him close while he wore a thin, soft-knit turtleneck sweater, his coat removed.

Although there was a console table with various functions in the middle of the seat, Eli responded to my movement and leaned in, so it wasn’t a problem to hug him briefly.

-Kwak…

As I felt something soft pressing against my body, I gently rubbed my cheek against Eli’s and then let her go.

“Sorry. From now on, I’ll only look at you.”

I whispered this, embarrassed, to those around me.

After hearing this, Eli’s face relaxed slightly, and she glanced around us briefly.

“…….”

She subtly stuck out her pink tongue between her pretty lips and tilted her head upwards, signaling that she wanted a deep kiss. I understood her intention and also glanced around us discreetly.

My parents in front of us were chatting in hushed tones, the stewardess walking nearby was nowhere to be seen, and Grandfather sitting across from us had his earphones in and his eyes closed. If Eli wanted to, we could do it anytime, but it would be impolite to ignore the people around us in this enclosed public space.

Anyway, after confirming that no one was paying attention to us, I also turned my face towards Eli.

“Zzip… Chuup…”

And quietly, not too intensely, we touched our tongues and lips.

Holding hands with gentle gestures, we shared a deep kiss.

“Zip, Chuup…”

Every time I felt it, kissing the person I liked gave me an electrifying thrill.

The feeling of our soft skin intertwining and exchanging saliva from mouth to mouth was indescribable.

So, I loved kissing Eli, and it was clear that Eli felt the same way.

If I didn’t like kissing my pretty girlfriend, I wouldn’t be a man.

***

Right after boarding the plane, it was a series of emotional moments, but after a while, I realized what it meant to say “I’m bored.”

There was nothing to do in particular.

At least I shared earphones with Eli and listened to music, and we also watched a movie I had downloaded from Xieber beforehand.

“Let’s greet each other and go on a date as soon as we arrive?”

“I’m too tired to move. Let’s see when we get there.”

“Is that so? By the way, I heard we’re stopping over in London, so we can take a look around there too.”

“If we have enough time, we can do that. Let’s ask later.”

We chatted like this.

Then, in the middle of the flight, the plane lights went out, and we could even take a nap. Since the flight time was so long, I thought it was amazing that we could do this too.

Anyway, I reclined my seat slightly, put my feet up on the footrest, and…

“Is this comfortable?”

To my surprise, it was extremely comfortable, and my tired body, exhausted from tension and anticipation, was about to fall asleep.

“Ido-yun.”

“Eli?”

Eli, who had been covering herself with a blanket beside me, suddenly got up and climbed on top of me, covering us with the blanket up to our heads.

Thanks to this, Eli’s soft body pressed against mine, and in this state, she covered us with the blanket. It was pitch dark, and even though it was winter, the heater was on, making the blanket increasingly warm.

“Zzip… Chuup…”

“Mmm…”

I was swept away by Eli.